Mythical Creatures Hunter-Chapter 69 - 67: A strange little village (3)

The man who had escorted Oliver and the others to his home stepped outside, leading the group that had come knocking on his door.

Their steps were quick and tense, and the closer they got to the center of the village, the louder the whispers around them grew.

In the wide square, the villagers had gathered in a large circle. Their faces were pale, their eyes restless.

It looked as if they were waiting for some kind of announcement or declaration.

At the center stood an elderly man with a thick white beard that hung down to his chest. His body, still strong and muscular, was covered in dark tattoos stretching from his neck all the way down to his arms.

He held a long staff topped with the skull of some strange creature, with much of the bone somehow coiled tightly around the staff.

As soon as the newcomers arrived, one of them stepped forward and pointed toward Isaac, who was walking among them with slow steps and slumped shoulders.

"I brought Isaac as you requested, Master."

He pushed him forward lightly, and the crowd instantly drew back, opening a path toward the center of the circle.

Isaac walked with hesitant steps, every muscle in his body screaming that he wanted to run away, yet unable to do so.

When he reached the elderly man with the staff, he fell to one knee without thinking, his head lowered.

"Why, why did you summon me, Master?"

The old man slightly lifted his staff and looked straight at Isaac.

His red eyes, partially hidden behind long strands of hair, were fixed on him. Isaac tried to keep steady, but he was trembling despite himself.

"Is the outsider who entered the village the same man you spoke of? The one you said killed the Great Guardian?"

Isaac raised his head a little.

"Yes, that man is the one who saved us—"

The elder struck the ground with his staff, the blow strong enough to send dust rising around his feet.

"Saved us? Can’t you see what has become of us? Don’t blind yourself to the truth, Isaac. I am certain his arrival is the reason for everything we are suffering."

"But Master, I saw him myself when he—"

The old man slammed the staff again, and Isaac fell silent immediately, unable to continue.

"For years we offered our sacrifices, and nothing went wrong. Even the last sacrifice, when Isaac offered his daughter, everything went exactly as it should have. But ever since that outsider appeared and killed the Great Guardian, look around you at how everything has collapsed."

He took a step forward, then another. The skull atop the staff tilted as if staring directly at Isaac.

"Those who returned to life survived only a few days before dying again, like Isaac’s daughter, and even his wife was harmed by it. The animals died. The crops withered. And only a few days passed before all livestock perished."

Whispers spread through the villagers like wildfire. Some murmured nervously. Some glared accusingly at Isaac. Others just shook their heads.

Isaac lowered his head again, his lips trembling, deep regret etched into his face.

He slowly lifted his gaze toward the old man again, trying to keep his expression firm, failing miserably.

The elder raised his staff high, the dark wood glimmering under the moonlight.

"With this staff left to us by the Great Guardian, we will take revenge. We will finally rid ourselves of the man who brought ruin to our village."

The villagers erupted into shouting, their voices rising with fervor. The elder then turned to Isaac.

"Put the sleeping herb in their food. Tonight, they must all fall asleep."

Isaac nodded, trying to appear obedient, but the tightness in his expression made the truth obvious.

"I will do it."

He turned and walked toward his home, where Oliver and the others waited.

Behind him, thin threads of black energy leaked from the staff, coiling around the elder’s hand before fading into the air.

...

At that same moment, in front of the room where the masked man stood inside, he now stood before Oliver and the others.

They immediately rose to their feet as soon as he entered.

Seeing this, the masked man raised his head slightly.

"What exactly are you all doing here?"

Oliver stepped forward, trying to look more composed than he actually was.

"We heard gunfire. We came straight here, but the door was locked and we couldn’t get in."

"The door wasn’t locked."

Lemur stepped forward, rubbing his ear awkwardly.

"We heard you talking to yourself, Commander."

Oliver and Tell exchanged a long, sharp, deeply irritated look.

Tell exhaled and turned toward the masked man, her wings gently flapping behind her.

"Since this stupid gray creature ruined the secrecy, who exactly were you talking to in there?"

The masked man answered while inspecting his bag calmly.

"You could say I was speaking to myself indirectly."

Tell frowned.

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

He ignored her completely, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word.

He moved forward, scanning the place with short but sharp glances, from the table to the floor, to the walls, then the corners of the room.

"Where did that man go?" he said without looking back.

Oliver sat on a nearby wooden chair, leaned forward, and interlocked his fingers.

"I don’t know. A group of villagers knocked on the door and asked for him, so he left with them."

He then looked at the masked man, staring directly into the eye that had returned to its calm blue color.

"Do you enjoy changing your eye color every time? Or is it something that happens on its own?"

The masked man didn’t reply. He didn’t even look his way. He kept moving through the house with full focus.

Nothing in his posture showed anything unusual. His steps were painfully slow, his shoulders stiff.

The others silently watched him, each one carrying a mix of curiosity and even more curiosity.

...

Time crawled by until Isaac finally returned.

When he opened the door quickly, he found the masked man and the others standing right in front of him, waiting.

He froze for a moment before blurting out the words without any lead-up.

"The villagers are planning to get rid of you."

Everyone exchanged brief looks.

Oliver quickly stepped forward until he stood right in front of Isaac.

"What are you saying?"

"The villagers are planning to get rid of you."

After saying this, he moved closer to the masked man.

"They’re blaming what happened to the village on you. Ever since the Guardian died, disease spread, people died, the crops rotted, and within days all the animals died. They claimed everything was the result of what you did, and they ordered me to drug you."

The masked man showed no shock.

The exposed half of his face remained neutral, and the half hidden behind the mask made him unreadable.

For a moment, Isaac felt like he was talking to a wall.

After several seconds of silence, the masked man finally spoke.

"Is any of them carrying something strange? A staff with bones or carved eyes?"

Isaac nodded instantly.

"Yes, the village elder has a staff like that. He said he found it on the Great Guardian’s corpse."

Silence returned as the masked man lowered his head slightly.

As if calculating something.

Then he lifted his gaze.

"Do what they asked of you."

Everyone responded in the same instant with the exact same shocked word.

"What?"

The masked man repeated himself calmly.

"Do what they told you. Didn’t they ask you to put us to sleep?"

Tell darted toward him, her wings beating rapidly with each movement.

"Are you insane?"

But he didn’t move toward her, didn’t turn, didn’t even give her a side glance.

His focus stayed locked on Isaac.

"What are you waiting for? Do it now." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Isaac opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

He was overwhelmed with confusion, but eventually, hesitantly, he pulled out the pouch of sleeping herbs from his pocket.

His hand trembled as he extended it toward the masked man.

Before anyone else could react, the masked man reached out, snatched the pouch, took a large handful of the herb without hesitation, shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it all at once.

Even Isaac’s eyes widened at that.

The masked man then walked forward, sat on a wooden chair near the table, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

He didn’t fall asleep instantly. He closed his eyes slowly, his breathing steadying until they shut completely.

Within moments, the others moved toward him.

Oliver, Tell, Lemur, even Isaac. They all stood around him, staring.

His body was completely still. His face calm and slackened of all tension.